MADISON, Wisconsin ¨C For several years now, a significant share of young Chinese people, disillusioned with their economic prospects, have embraced ¡°lying flat,¡± a principled rejection of careerist competition (the proverbial ¡°rat race¡±). Since such attitudes do not bode well for the country¡¯s economic future, Chinese authorities have responded by portraying the movement as a foreign-backed effort to undermine national development and morale.
This is not a new tactic. When I spearheaded opposition to China¡¯s one-child policy, I was accused of colluding with hostile foreign interests to undermine the country through overpopulation. Now that China¡¯s population decline is undeniable, I am accused of exaggerating the crisis and bashing China.
In fact, ¡°lying flat¡± is a direct result of the one-child policy. Just as biological homeostasis ¡ª avoiding deviations in blood pressure or blood sugar, for example ¡ª is necessary to prevent illness or death, so economic homeostasis requires maintaining the right balance between consumption and production. Introduced in 1980 in the belief that a smaller population would improve employment, the one-child policy produced the opposite result. By reducing children ¡ª well-known ¡°superconsumers¡± ¡ª it weakened household bargaining power, driving the share of household disposable income in gross domestic product from about two-thirds in the 1980s (broadly in line with peer economies) to just 44% today.
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